Yes, they are 700C, and 18 wide Alex Adventurer, 36 spokers. Rim Brakes. I like 9 spd, because it's so much cheaper to maintain/replace parts on a 9 spd. There is a big jump in prices with a 10 spd. I also like the triple, just gives me more options to find the perfect gear.

It all depends on what you want from the ride. For a cross frame depending on which one you have, you can run pretty fat, high volume balloon slicks, things like the narrower Big Apples, or the Big Bens if you want a bit more bite to the tread. They are comfortable, puncture resistant and roll nicely. They are not however "fast".

Skinnier tires are generally lighter, can spin up faster and depending on the tread can be faster but they will beat you up over rough surfaces and slide around on loose surfaces compared to the bigger/fatter tires. You'll generally be more capable of higher speeds with your head down on skinnier/lighter wheels and tires.

I found I like the comfort and the planted stability of the big tires quite a lot for my general riding. More than I ever anticipated.

Ok all...he build is starting to come along. I've been able to get a lot of parts from an XC bike which is really going to help the budget. These parts include brake levers, mechanical disc brakes, flat bar handlebars with a rise, trigger shifters, brooks saddle, suspension seat post. I've also gotten a set of used Pacenti SL23 700C wheel sets and put 35's on those. And for the drive train I bought new front crank (48-36-26) and rear 9 speed cassette. But, I need to get front and rear derailleurs. Open to choices and opinions on any and would like to hear from y'all on what's out there and what might work well for this build.

I have not gotten a front derailleur yet and really need some help finding one that will work. Because of the chain ring size (48-36-26), do I need to go with a road front derailleur? I'm finding very few 9 speed triple front derailleurs that will do 48T chainring.

Since you are considering disc brakes, be aware most cross frames are spaced for 130mm rear wheel hubs and mtb frames are spaced for 135mm hubs. The 130 hubs are a big $ item compared to the mtb 135 hub.

to select a front dérailleur check the shimano tech docs. you can select road or mtb, the level of hardware then check for the fd that matches your largest chain ring. not many road bike units will work with flat bars, so you will get the most hits in mtb.

Actually, I was concerned with the frame size issue when I got my wheel sets. The frame spec'd 130mm and the rear hub is a 135. The frame actually measured 133mm and when I tried the wheel, it slid right in! I'll follow your suggestion to check out the specs and see if I can find something. The build is basically done with the exception of the front derailleur. Thanks. Open to anything else on this front D thing!

Ok...build is done. Been done for a while. It's awesome. Went with the M770 front derailleur. It works well, but I have a clearance issue between the derailleur mechanism and the rear tire. It's only a half inch. It's a little tighter than I'm comfortable with. So, can someone recommend a front derailleur that will provide more clearance between the tire and clamp/ mechanism? The caseete is a 9 speed and the crank is 3 rings (48-36-26).

I concur. A half inch is as good as a mile for the type of riding you do.

However, if you are really set on increasing the spacing, you would probably be looking at going with a longer spindle on your BB (I didn't read through the whole thread, so I am not sure if it is possibly with your configuration) and readjusting the FD (assuming it has enough reach). My gut feel is that all derailleurs capable of shifting to your inner ring on a triple would have similar clearance, so adjusting everything (and impacting Q factor) is the only option I see.